Strategies, Practices and Tools
Decades of research provides a clear understanding of how skilled reading develops and how to most effectively support children in learning to read proficiently. Evidence-based, structured literacy instruction develops all the foundational language and literacy skills that must be woven together so that children can make meaning from the words they read.
The information presented here is intended to complement evidence-based core reading curricula and intervention programs already in place and help educators fill in gaps or modify their approaches with effective strategies, instructional practices, and tools and activities to implement them.
Early childhood educators can focus their practices to help children build language and emergent literacy skills. Pre-K and K-3 educators can find evidence-based ways to provide explicit, implicit, and incidental instruction across the essential components of literacy. And English Language Arts teachers across grades 4-12 will find effective practices to help students meet the increasing need for skilled reading.
Instructional Strategy
Teach children the meanings of many words to help them use language effectively.
Language represents knowledge, and the more words a child knows and understands, the better they can communicate. Vocabulary is important for later reading comprehension; for decoding (recognizing words in print) and language comprehension (ability to understand the words we read). Vocabulary knowledge leads to more vocabulary knowledge.
Source: Institute of Education Sciences, Foundation in Emergent Literacy Instruction: Vocabulary
Effective Practices
- Explicit instruction for specific words.
- Intentionally design and deliver instruction for new words that builds on prior learning and moves from simple to complex.
- Create child-friendly definitions.
- Provide opportunities for children to say the word.
- Engage children in active responses.
- Play-based interactions with teacher guidance.
- Enhance the learning environment with specific props or activities that relate to your current theme or meaningful topic and your network of words.
- Engage children while allowing them to direct their own play.
- Ask questions that invite extended responses.
- Provide meaningful feedback to children’s comments by asking more questions, using more sophisticated words, defining words, and making connections.
- Introduce new vocabulary words.
- Use wait time effectively after asking a child a question.
- Make the most of informal activities like transitions, daily routines, or meals/snack time. Intentional introduction of vocabulary can be incorporated in any activity.
- Make use of all subject areas during the preschool day.
Tools and Activities
Intentionally Plan Activities to Build Vocabulary and Language
Recommendations on how to choose words, introduce new vocabulary, and reinforce and encourage the use of new vocabulary throughout the day.
Learn More from What Works Clearinghouse
Vocabulary Activities
Get tips on talking about new words during read alouds and other ways to build vocabulary.
Learn More from Reading Rockets
Background Knowledge in Preschool
Background knowledge is a powerful factor in reading comprehension. Preschool curriculums can intentionally build student knowledge through activities that engage young children with complex oral language.
Learn More from Knowledge Matters Campaign
Related
Developmental benchmarks and literacy behaviors that most children display at a particular age/grade.
Evidence-based reading interventions support students who are identified as struggling with specific foundational literacy skills.
Evidence-based core curricula, interventions, and supplemental programs play a critical role in supporting students’ reading success.
While seemingly effortless, good reading is made up of a set of complex skills and strategies.